OVERRATED: TV series as cult objects

OVERRATED: TV series as cult objects

PBS

Whether the result of the Internet's thirst for chatter or the ease with which shows can be consumed in obsessive binges, it's no longer enough for a series to be good, it must become a cause. Consider "Downton Abbey," (pictured) a well-done (if familiar) British costume drama earning PBS some deserved press: Can't such a show just be enjoyable without inspiring theme parties, evangelical social media testimony and inevitably unrealistic expectations?

Whether the result of the Internet's thirst for chatter or the ease with which shows can be consumed in obsessive binges, it's no longer enough for a series to be good, it must become a cause. Consider "Downton Abbey," (pictured) a well-done (if familiar) British costume drama earning PBS some deserved press: Can't such a show just be enjoyable without inspiring theme parties, evangelical social media testimony and inevitably unrealistic expectations? (PBS)

Whether the result of the Internet's thirst for chatter or the ease with which shows can be consumed in obsessive binges, it's no longer enough for a series to be good, it must become a cause. Consider "Downton Abbey," (pictured) a well-done (if familiar) British costume drama earning PBS some deserved press: Can't such a show just be enjoyable without inspiring theme parties, evangelical social media testimony and inevitably unrealistic expectations?